WiFi to soon debut in Ford cars

You may soon be able to tweet, google and skype from the back seat of your car.

Ford announced that some of its 2010 models would carry WiFi capability. This means that passengers (and hopefully not the driver) will be able to browse the Net, read e-mails and shop online.

Ford is not a pioneer in this area. Previously BMW, Chrysler and GM have announced Internet connectivity in some of their models. But the Ford solution seems to be the most attractive.

Ford is extending SYNC features to include WiFi. SYNC, an integrated communication system found only in Ford cars, allows the operation of MP3 players, blue-tooth enabled phones and USB drives via voice command.

With the new added feature, you just have to plug in your USB mobile modem that you use to connect to Verizon or Sprint and the entire car will have WiFi. This is different from the Autonet WiFi that other car makers are offering, which require a monthly subscription. Ford frees its customers from this constraint.

The company is also trying to address problems that might come along with the capability. These car models will obviously be sought after in highways where passengers in other cars might try to tap into the WiFi networks and steal bandwidth. To prevent that the WiFi would have WPA2 level security and the passengers will have to use a randomly generated password to log into the network.

So, Internet addicts, you would be able to carry your Net with you in the car, and maybe even keep the kids in the backseat quiet on long journeys.